The Jet to Nanda Parbat
by Dahlhaus
Summary: Just a one-shot speculating on the jet scene SA has teased in interviews. UPDATE: Added a second chapter that focuses on an interesting and powerful encounter between Felicity and Ra's al Ghul. ANOTHER UPDATE: I'm transforming this into my spot for post-episode one-shots. The third chapter expands up the overly short scene between Felicity and Laurel.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. I know I've been off the map for years. However, I'm back for the moment (and with a new pen name too!). Work has been terribly stressful these past weeks and it's only getting worse. I've got to write about 70 pages of academic material in the next week and a half, so it probably seems insane for me to be writing a fic, even if it is a short one. But I really needed the creative outlet and Arrow 3x19 really got my mind buzzing, unlike my research of late. Anyway—to get back on topic—with SA stating that his favorite scene in 3x20 takes place on the jet to Nanda Parbat, there's been a lot of speculation as to what the scene will include. If you've seen the extended end-of-season promo, then you know [spoilers] that Oliver and Felicity are going to sleep together at the LoA HQ. This fic is a bit of speculation about how Oliver and Felicity, currently miles apart in the world of romance, might get to that point. The scenes preceding the jet are brief and underdeveloped. I mostly included them as a way to set the stage. All from Oliver's POV. [Notes continued post-fic... I don't want to give anything away!]

#

Felicity was right. Oliver too often allowed himself to forget that love was both give and take. He knew how to give of himself. He sacrificed everything to help Starling City. He'd lost his family company, his mother, Tommy, and Sara. He'd lost his chance to be with Felicity and now he'd lost Roy too. He'd given up his life as Oliver Queen, his chance at happiness, all to be the Arrow, and now he'd even lost that. He couldn't save Starling City, he couldn't save his friends, but at least he still had his soul. At least Ra's hadn't taken that. And he still had Thea. Roy was alive and telling her would bring the light back to her eyes.

#

It wasn't long before he arrived back at the loft. He tried to gather himself and put on the closest thing to a happy face he could muster but he just couldn't find that light within himself. He'd forgotten what it felt like to not be in pain. So he kept his face down and announced himself as he opened the door.

"Thea, I've got good news."

When there was no answer he looked up. "Thea?! No! No, no, no!" A blood-curdling scream escaped from deep within him.

#

The gentle beeps and hum of life support machines were all Oliver could hear as he sat by Thea's bedside. Digg and Felicity had gone home for the night, but Oliver couldn't bring himself to leave. He knew it was selfish to think of himself while Thea was fighting for life, but he couldn't help but think that if Thea died, he'd have nothing left.

He felt a presence join him.

"What do you want, Maseo? Hasn't Ra's taken enough from me?"

He wanted to fight. He wanted to kill. He hadn't felt this much rage brewing inside him since the Count nearly injected Felicity with a lethal dose of Vertigo. But each time he looked a Thea his fight turned to agony. Fighting is what got him here. Fighting is what Ra's wanted.

"I bring an offer from the Demon," Maseo answered.

"You mean command," Oliver replied.

"He will allow you access to the Lazarus Pit in exchange for an oath of loyalty. Take your place as heir and your sister will live."

#

Oliver was alone. Sure the others were on-board the jet, but he was alone all the same. He felt powerless now. All he could do was sit and stare at Thea's broken body before him. She was gone. He'd lost everything and now his only option was to yield to Ra's—to exchange his life for a mere chance at regaining hers.

He felt a presence join him though he hadn't heard the cabin door open.

"Hey, Oliver," said Diggle as he slowly approached.

Oliver couldn't respond. He just stared at Thea's lifeless form.

"Listen, man, I get it. I know you feel like you failed her. I know you want to bring her back. If I could've done that for my brother I might have. But that wouldn't make it right. This isn't the way. You can't do this. It's unnatural. It's... wrong."

Still no response.

"Fine, Oliver. Don't talk. Just know that if you do this, there are going to be consequences beyond joining the League."

As Diggle walked away the silence between them was deafening.

#

"Oliver?" It was a gentle voice, full of concern. Only Felicity could break him from his trance.

He couldn't look her in the eyes, so he kept staring at Thea's body instead. "I don't get it, Felicity." His voice was barely a whisper. "How can you believe in me? How can you see me as anything other than a failure? I just... I just wanted to help the city and all I've managed to do is anger the police and get some of my friends and entire family killed. Maybe Lance is right. Maybe I'm a monster. Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I'm the reason for all this horror."

He felt her place her hand on his shoulder like he'd done for her so many times before. And in that moment the floodgates broke. Oliver leaned into her touch and wept openly for the first time since Tommy's death. He couldn't control it and with Felicity, that somehow felt alright.

"Oliver... you are not a failure." Felicity's voice was full of strength, conviction. She rounded the chair and knelt before him, putting herself in his line of sight. "I don't know if this will work or if she'll be different like Merlyn said. But I do know two things: you'd do anything to save your sister and that's not the mark of a monster. That's the mark of a good man. You're a good man."

Oliver let that sink in. He still couldn't see himself the way she did.

"And the second thing is that I love you."

Oliver's heart stopped as his eyes went wide. "You what?"

"I love you. I've loved you since the day I found you bleeding in the back seat of my car. I'm sorry it took me so long to say it, to realize how strong these feelings are. Just know that I'm here for you, Oliver. I may not like your willingness to join the League, but I understand, and I'll support you no matter what decision you make."

Oliver took her in his arms. "Thank you, Felicity. Thank you."

They stayed like that for a long while, until Oliver spoke again. "Would you sit with me?"

"Of course."

"And, Felicity?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too."

#

Author's Notes (continued): I'm certain some parts of this won't parallel the show, but I think the sentiment will be similar. The writers will almost certainly save Felicity's first "I love you" to Oliver for the scene they've already spoiled, but I like it here. (Check out the Canadian version of the 3x20 promo if you want to see it.) Rather than the desirous, "I can't lose you," type of ILY I'm expecting in the Nanda Parbat scene, the one here is meant to be a chaste, comforting one. I'm also a bit unsure about how they'll handle Thea. I used her here as a catalyst for closing the distance between Oliver and Felicity. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my little one-shot!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Well, after a day of laboring over a paper that I just can't seem to get off the ground, I've decided that the only way to break my scholarly writer's block is to do some more fiction writing. The good news is that this means I'll be adding to this story! This is another short little piece that speculates on Felicity's exchange with Ra's al Ghul that was teased in—oh, I can't remember which non-US promo. I started writing that scene, but ended up deciding to skip it and add an encounter between Felicity and Ra's that takes place after Thea's revival. I know the show won't go this way. I just thought it would be fun to shake things up a bit and give Felicity a more prominent role in the action-proper. This time I'll be writing from Felicity's perspective. Enjoy, everyone!

#

It was a long while before Felicity stood and left so Oliver could have some space. She knew he needed him, but being there with Thea laid out and strapped onto a gurney was something she couldn't take forever. She found as secluded a place as she could hope to find on the jet. She needed space to think.

What had she done? She'd given him free license to join the League—to be the next Ra's al Ghul. She needed to support him, but how could she support _this_? Thea. How else could she answer that question? If Ra's would kill her, he'd do anything to make Oliver his heir. Ra's had broken him. Made him a shadow of the man she knew he could be. Her Oliver. She needed to do something. It was her turn to do the rescuing.

"May I join you?"

Felicity was startled from her reverie by Digg's voice.

"Of course," she responded.

"Looks like you were doing some hard thinking there." Digg always had a fatherly tone when he was about to drop a truth bomb.

"Yeah. I—" She took a deep breath. "I finally told Oliver how I feel."

Digg just nodded.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we gonna do to get Oliver out of this? I mean, I know he's going to have to join the League in order to save Thea, but there has to be some way to get him out."

"Felicity..." His voice trailed off as he said her name.

She looked back with tears forming in her eyes.

"We have to save him. I won't stand by and watch as the man I love has his soul stripped away and replaced with more killing. I can't. I just can't."

There was a long silence between them before Digg spoke up.

"Felicity, I don't think we can fix this one. I already tried to convince Oliver that he had to let it go—had to let her go. I tried to connect with him—share what I went through with my brother—but he shut me out."

"Then we need to learn how to defeat Ra's."

"Don't get any ideas, Felicity. You know what this man is capable of. You know that if any of us tries anything, if Oliver tries anything, we're all as good as dead. He won't stop at Thea. He'll take away everyone Oliver cares about until there is no more Oliver Queen. He'll make sure Oliver has no home but the one he grants."

"I'm not sure I can live without him, John. I'm not sure I _want_ to live without him."

She was alone on this one.

#

The jet landed all too soon for Felicity. She was one step closer to saying goodbye to the man she loved and she had no plan to free him from Ra's clutches.

She started talking to herself under her breath. "What would Oliver do? How do you defeat the deadliest man on the face of the Earth? What do I have that Ra's doesn't? That's it!" She half-shouted the last part, unintentionally garnering the attention of the others.

"Sorry! I... um... just... um... was thinking about how to... uh... improve the recursive algorithm I've been using to... um... find personal data on our bad guys." It came out sounding more like a question than an apology. When would she stop babbling?

"Felicity," Oliver started, "there's no more Team Arrow. You told me that."

"Right... I guess it was just wishful thinking."

As everyone fell back into silence, Felicity's mind went back to work. No one could doubt that Ra's was unparalleled in martial combat. Decades of bathing in the magic hot tub had given him ample time to develop his skills. But Felicity, Felicity had brains—brains that would let her hack into just about any computer system on the planet. Who was she kidding. She could hack _any_ computer system on the planet. She silently thanked herself for bringing along her tablet and satellite hot-spot. Ra's wouldn't know what hit him.

Once Felicity had a moment alone she put her plan into action. It was amazing what a few keystrokes could do. Once she found a hole in the A.R.G.U.S. security she set up a script and linked it to her phone. She'd only get one shot at this and she had to time it perfectly. Now that the trigger was set, all she needed was to get Ra's alone.

#

While everyone else assembled in the foyer preparing to leave, Felicity snuck into Ra's chambers uninvited. They were lush and opulent—nothing like what she expected an evil man such as Ra's al Ghul to favor.

"You are Al Sah-him's love, are you not, girl?" Ra's voice was cool and calm. So much for being sneaky.

"Yes—and don't call me girl," she responded.

"Well then, child... Why have you trespassed in my private chambers? Have you come to beg for you poor Oliver's release?"

"No. I've come to command it."

"Command!" Ra's cackled. It must have been as close to a laugh as he could manage. "And what gives a mere child the gall to make demands of the Demon's Head?"

"The ability to destroy him and everything he desires." Felicity held up her phone and tapped the screen, sending a signal back to her tablet, activating her A.R.G.U.S. hack. "You see Ra's, there are drawbacks to your old school approach to everything." Felicity's voice was growing stronger, more powerful. "For example: no cyber-security. You may be the best assassin in the world, but I'm the best hacker. You see, I've just commandeered a dozen A.R.G.U.S. drones and directed each to drop its entire payload on these GPS coordinates. They should be here in, oh, about 15 minutes. Unless, of course I call them off."

Felicity paused for a moment to let the gravity of what she'd done sink in. Ra's remained calm—not the reaction she was hoping for.

"That is a long time, girl. What makes you think I won't kill you here and now?"

"I'm the only one who can call them off. If you kill me, not only do you die, the whole League dies. And so does your magic hot tub. Without the Lazarus Pit, how long do you think the mantle of Ra's al Ghul will survive?"

"You'd end your own life and those of all your friends, just to obtain Al Sah-him's release from his vows?"

This was a sore spot for Felicity. She'd thought hard about it and decided that Ra's would never refuse her demands. And if he did... well that was a risk she'd have to take.

"You've obviously forgotten what it is to be in love." She knew he hadn't. He'd pushed her to go to Oliver the night before. This man who went by Ra's al Ghul was more human that she imagined, no matter how evil. However, she had to say something to motivate him to accept—to convince him she wasn't bluffing.

"It seems I made an error the last time we spoke. I should not have told you to go to Al Sah-him. It sharing your love with him has driven you to madness."

"Not madness, resolve."

"You understand that once I release you and Oliver, there will be nothing stopping me from repeating this whole process. I will have my heir."

"Wrong again, Ra's. I might complain how my mouth gets ahead of this brain of mine sometimes, but the truth is that I'm almost always thinking one step ahead. I set up a self-replicating and self-repeating algorithm that will inform every major military power of your headquarters location if I don't check in every twenty-four hours."

Ra's smiled. Smiled!

"I don't know why you're smiling. You've lost, Ra's. Let us go and I'll stop the attack."

He continued his grin. "Perhaps I should have chosen _you_ as my heir." He paused for a moment to study her. "Very well, I release Al Sah-him from his vows. You and your Oliver may leave. However, I'll be needing collateral. A contingency against your attack, just as you've built protection from mine into your design."

This didn't sound good. One step ahead? Why didn't she think of this!

"John Diggle will remain in Nanda Parbat as my honored guest."

"No!" escaped from Felicity's lips before she could stop it.

"You did not think it would be so simple, did you?"

"You misunderstand me, Ra's. You're in no position to negotiate. I will sacrifice everything to be with Oliver, whether it be in this life or the next. I will end you and everything you stand for before I let you take any of my friends." Her eyes had gone fierce. In all those times harnessing Oliver's light, some of his darkness must have entered her. She would stop at nothing now.

Ra's studied her for a long time, but she didn't back down.

"Sixty seconds left. It's time to make a decision. Let us all go or the League will be destroyed in one fell swoop."

#

Author's notes (continued): I hope you all enjoyed seeing Felicity take the role of hero! I've been hoping the writers would give her a more active role in this regard for a while now. She always has her moments, no doubt. For example, when she knocks Cooper out in 3x05. But to be honest, I feel like she's been relegated to emotional clean-up duty for the most part since then. Anyway, this will be the last entry for this fic. There's no way I'll come up with anything else before the show airs tomorrow night. All comments and reviews are very much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: I should probably change the title of this fic because it's quickly turning into a dumping ground for my post-episode drabbles. Please leave new Olicity-themed title suggestions in the reviews! N.B. This is _not_ a continuation of the second chapter of this fic. It's a wholly new story that follows up on 3x20. Anyway, I thought the Felicity/Laurel scene from 3x20 was all too short, so the attached is an expansion on that premise. I know I said I wouldn't be adding any more to this because of my Ph.D. responsibilities, but I had a good writing day (the first in AGES) and managed to produce about 10 pages of solid scholarship. I think that warrants a bit of fanfiction indulgence, no? The following is told from Felicity's perspective, simply because I really don't want to try swimming around in Laurel's head. I mean, I love Katie Cassidy and all (she was a great as Ruby on Supernatural and even better in the Scribbler), but Laurel...? Ick.

#

Felicity knocked hesitantly on the door frame of Laurel's office.

"Sorry to interrupt."

"Is everything alright?" Laurel responded.

"No. It's not." It was becoming difficult to hold back the tears that threatened to burst forth.

"Felicity?"

"Oliver's... He's gone."

"What are you talking about?"

"He joined the League. He's not coming back."

Laurel embraced her and she broke. There was nothing she could do to hold back the tears. It was strange to be there, confiding in one of Oliver's former lovers. Yet, she also knew Laurel was the only person who could truly understand. Laurel loved Oliver once upon a time. A different Oliver, yes, but Oliver nonetheless.

When her tears began to run dry and she gained control of her breathing once more, Laurel broke the silence.

"What happened, Felicity? I don't even understand why Oliver would do this..."

"Ra's killed Thea."

Laurel was left stammering.

"Well, almost. Oliver was devastated, but there was a way to save her. We brought her to Nanda Parbat. There was this ritual where they lowered her body into this water they call the Lazarus Pit and she came out healed. I don't understand it, but the water healed her. Oliver had to give up his life in exchange for hers."

The look on Laurel's face said she knew there was more. She waited for Felicity to continue.

"When we were there... I... Laurel, it was my last chance. I had to tell him that I love him. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't tell him."

"Oh, Felicity." The concern in her voice told her she needn't continue. Laurel understood in a way only she could.

Felicity descended into tears again and the two women embraced each other as they coped with losing Oliver for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Felicity, Oliver is strong. He might be thick-headed, but he's also smart. He'll find a way to come back to you—to come back to us. I know it's hard, but you've got to have faith. You've got to believe in him."

Felicity mulled over her words for a long time. She would never stop believing in Oliver, but her faith was broken. Oliver had as good as told her to move on, but she knew her heart would never let her.

"I told him, before we left, that leaving him behind would destroy me, Laurel. But I didn't realize it would hurt this much. I've never been so... so broken."

Laurel broke their embrace so she could look her in the eyes.

"I don't think I can live without him. I don't _want_ to live without him."

"Don't say that," Laurel responded.

"Why not? It's true. I feel empty, Laurel. I know it sound cliché, but there's a piece of me missing. What's worse is that I know the Oliver I love is dying out there. The League is going to turn him into something terrible. He's going to lose himself and then he's going to become Ra's al Ghul and even if he did come back he wouldn't be Oliver anymore. He'd be Al Sah-him, heir to the Demon."

"But he'll still be Oliver. You knew him as the Hood. You saw him become the Arrow. Oliver Queen was always in there, Felicity. He'll come back to Starling. He'll come back to you and make this right. Just believe in him."

#

Author's notes (continued): I hope you all enjoyed this short little piece! Please leave suggestions for a new title for the fic. Like I said in the pre-story notes, I'm going to make this the spot for my post-episode drabble one-shots. Stay tuned for next week!


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